Comparison tool
Rankings across 8 publishers plus admissions, cost, debt and outcome data for Fairfield University, Clark University, Mount Holyoke College. Every figure is sourced and dated.
| Metric | Fairfield UniversityFairfield, CT | Clark UniversityWorcester, MA | Mount HolyokeSouth Hadley, MA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acceptance rate | 33.3% | 39.5% | 36.0% |
| SAT middle 50% | 1260–1390 | 1288–1460 | 1380–1530 |
| Average net price | $48,0956.9% on Pell grants | $28,71423.1% on Pell grants | $26,44121.9% on Pell grants |
| Published tuition & fees | $58,350Most recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release | $58,867Most recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release | $67,018Most recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release |
| 6-year graduation rate | 84.3% | 76.9% | 84.4% |
| First-year retention | 91.3% | 86.2% | 88.6% |
| Undergraduates on Pell grants | 6.9% | 23.1% | 21.9% |
| Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $88,794 | $62,381 | $58,418 |
| Median federal debt at graduation | $26,000 | $26,759 | $22,902 |
| Student-faculty ratio | 12:1 | 9:1 | 9:1 |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 5,373 | 2,214 | 2,169 |
| Consensus percentile | 42Lower is better | 47Lower is better | 35Lower is better |
| Methodology sensitivity | 78 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points | 82 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points | 86 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points |
Highlighted cells mark the most favourable value in that row where a direction is meaningful. No highlight appears for metrics like enrollment or SAT range, where “better” depends entirely on what you want.
“Not ranked by this source” means that publisher’s list does not include the school — not missing data and not a poor rank.
| Source | Fairfield University | Clark University | Mount Holyoke |
|---|---|---|---|
| US News | #139 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 | #132 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 | #34 of 210Liberal arts collegesNational Liberal Arts Colleges · 2026 |
| Forbes | #281 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 | #263 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 | #237 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 |
| Washington Monthly | #1329 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 | #467 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 | #202 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 |
| WSJ | #116 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 | #456 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 | #457 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 |
| Niche | #275 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 | #243 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 | #145 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 |
| Money | Listed | Listed | Listed |
| Princeton Review | Listed | Listed | Listed |
| QS | Not ranked by this source | #1028 of 1,504World (QS)World University Rankings · 2026 | Not ranked by this source |
Students comparing Fairfield University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
Full profileStudents comparing Clark University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
Full profileStudents comparing Mount Holyoke College on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
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